Charles Phillips, director of the Health Services Research Program at Texas A and M, tells WebMD.com, "We ended up classifying 4% of the homes in the country as homes to consider, and 3% of homes in the country as homes to avoid."
Author of the magazine article, Trudy Lieberman, directs the Center for Consumer Health Choices at Consumers Union, publisher of the magazine.
She says, "Our data is really a starting point for families when they begin to look for a nursing home."
Consumer Reports publishes the following "Tips for Finding Good Nursing Home Care."
*Get the names of local facilities. Call Eldercare Locator (800-677-1116) to find your local agency on aging.
*Check Consumer Reports Nursing Home Quality Monitor, which has state-by-state findings, at www.consumerreports.org/nursinghomes.
*Check on ownership. Independent nonprofit facilities may be better than for-profit chains, according to Consumer Reports.
*Check with your local long-term care ombudsman. This government official can be found through your local agency on aging. He or she should know about local nursing homes.
*Don't rely on the federal web site. Nursing home information at www.medicare.gov may be "incomplete and possibly misleading," says Consumer Reports.
*Visit homes several times.
*Read each home's Form 2567. That's the facility's state inspection survey.
*Check on the staff. Talk to the home's administrator; and ask about top-level staff turnover.
